


Shared Fantasy

by diice



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Insecurity, Love Across The Universe: Dangan Salmon Team, Love Hotels, POV First Person, Protagonist Akamatsu Kaede
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-03
Updated: 2020-05-03
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:21:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23976658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/diice/pseuds/diice
Summary: Kaede obtains the mystifying Love Key, and after numerous attempts, she gets the boy she has been crushing on for a long time.
Relationships: Akamatsu Kaede/Saihara Shuichi
Comments: 3
Kudos: 52





	Shared Fantasy

**Author's Note:**

> this is meant to be the sequel to avoidance, but can also be read as a stand-alone

Every time I come here, I play the role of their 'ideal'. Like some shared fantasy. I'm super curious about what Shuichi fantasizes about! Lady luck decided to make me see all fourteen other student's fantasies before his. I hope it was worth the wait.

"I'm home, sweetheart!" Shuichi calls out, as though he had just stepped into an empty house after a long day at work. "Sorry my business meeting took so long. I have some great news you're going to love!"

Business meeting? Do detectives have business meetings? When that phrase comes to mind, I think of a group of people in tuxedos sitting around a long black table, discussing the graph a businessman is presenting. Ah, I shouldn't assume that I know everything about detectives because I'm friends with one. This is his fantasy. Maybe he likes attending business meetings.

I clap my hands, putting a smile on my face. "Welcome home, Shuichi! What's the good news?"

"You know how my novel became a bestseller in a week and is getting great reviews? Well, a big movie studio approached me and wanted to adapt it into a movie! Can you believe it?"

Shuichi is smiling the purest smile that I have ever seen. He's so cute! Shuichi must have used his free time to write a novel in this fantasy. I want to know what it's about, but if I ask that, he might assume that I wasn't paying attention earlier. One wrong move can derail the fantasy and have Shuichi wake up feeling terrible.

"I knew you would be successful, Shuichi! All it took was a little bit of looking inside of yourself and believing you would make it. I'm so glad you're my boyfriend!"

Shuichi doesn't falter. If I complimented him like this in the real world, he would've tipped his hat to cover his blushing face and looked away from me. "Thank you, Kaede," he replies flatly. Suddenly, buzzing comes from his pockets. He whips out his phone and presses the power button. "Oh, I just got a text from mom and dad. They think your latest piano recital was the best one yet. They want to come over to personally thank you because they didn't have the opportunity to do so at the recital."

So I still play the piano in this fantasy? That makes things easier. "Don't your parents live overseas? I wouldn't want them to take the time out of their busy lives just to congratulate me!"

Shuichi chuckles. The more that I look at him, the more I notice how subtle the changes are. His hat is off, first of all. Standing up straight, shoulders no longer sagging as if a huge weight were on them. Shuichi looks  _ free _ . "I don't know what you're talking about. My parents live in Japan, and their lives aren't that busy at all. They probably spend more time spoiling me than they do at their jobs, honestly."

Huh? That's so strange! It's like his life was flipped upside-down. I try not to let it affect me. "Oh, right. I was thinking of someone else. I don't think I ever got a chance to read your novel, could you give me a brief summary?"

"It's called So Lingers The Ocean. A love story that is my masterpiece. Could you believe that fishermen shot up to number one on hottest men polls after it got published? My writing skills are top-notch. This is just the start of my career! I can only go up from here!"

Shuichi's pride is emanating off of him. This keeps getting more and more weird. I have to pry more. "Hey, babe? Do you remember how we started dating?"

"Of course, sweetheart," Shuichi answers. "I boldly confessed to you after school. When I called you 'sweetheart' for the first time, you practically melted into my arms. You kept telling me that I looked like such a reliable man. I knew how much you wanted a guy to give you flowers and chocolate, so I did just that."

How does he know all of this?! It's like he knows my fantasies as well as I'm getting to know his! I cover my reddening cheeks with my hands. "You're so reliable, Shuichi… you remember everything! No wonder you're the Ultimate Detective!"

"I'm… what?"

"You're the Ultimate Detective," I state. Why doesn't he know? It's like everything that made Shuichi himself is gone. That sparkle in his eyes when he spots a clue, his adorable stammering, his timid yet calming voice that gave me the courage to do anything. He's catering to my fantasies without any desires of his own. I haven't changed, but Shuichi  _ has _ . Why does he want this? "Or… are you not?"

Shuichi dismisses my claim with a wave of his hand. "There can't be two Ultimate Detectives, Kaede. That's impossible. I'm just a regular guy that happened to meet an amazing girl like you and I wouldn't have it any other way. Are you perhaps confused because my uncle is a detective? He's a great uncle, but I could never be like him."

In an instant, my heart shatters. This… is not Shuichi Saihara. This is an average teenage boy. It's not normal for someone his age to have a best-selling novel about to receive a movie adaptation, but he doesn't seem passionate about writing. Is this a way to ensure that I view him as reliable? Oh, Shuichi. You don't need to warp yourself into who I want you to be, that's not why I like you. How do I say this without ruining the fantasy?

"You know exactly what I want out of a relationship. You remember all the little things, call me sweetheart, and you're so bold. You're so much like Kaito!"

Suddenly, he looks more awake. He's staring at me like he's seen a ghost. "Kaito?" he says, like recalling a distant memory. Does he not know Kaito in this fantasy? He's one of the most important people in Shuichi's life! He loves being his sidekick, tagging alongside him in all of his misadventures. It's so strange that Shuichi would completely cut out a guy he values that much out of his life like he didn't matter. His arms have the bit of muscle he gained from his workouts with the astronaut. Uncharacteristically, he adds, "I don't need Kaito. I'm not that weak."

"You're not weak at all. Are you two rivals or something? Does he have a crush on me? If he did, then I didn't notice, because I'm so infatuated with you!"

Shuichi is looking through me. "I have the strength to do everything by myself. I don't have to be in his shadow. Stars can shine brighter when the moon isn't covering them from earth's view."

"Do you know who Kaito Momota is or not? It's not right for you two to be strangers! You don't have to be embarrassed at how much you need him." I put a hand on my chest, my voice softening. "Needing someone isn't weak or doesn't make you any less reliable. Expressing vulnerability is a brave thing that even I have trouble with. Kaito has a place in your heart, and that's not anything to be ashamed of."

" _ What do you mean _ ?" His voice cracks, just like the Shuichi I know. He grabs me by the shoulders, his eyes full of desperation. "You're the only person I know from Hope's Peak Academy. All of these other Ultimates are your companions, not mine!"

"I never said that Kaito was an Ultimate student."

Shuichi flinches. Somehow, he seems more aware than everyone else did in this Love Suite, for a reason I cannot decipher. "I just assumed he was. No problem with that. I should text my parents back— they don't know about the movie yet!"

Before Shuichi can examine his phone, I grab his hand. "This isn't right. I've never told you that I want to be called sweetheart. I don't own a diary, either. There is only one way you could have known this. I have just one question to ask, though."

"Kaede…"

"What is your fantasy, Shuichi?"

The barriers between fiction and reality shatter. Shuichi's yellow eyes widen into pinprick-like pupils; I can tell that this is the real him. He shudders and looks around the room before returning his gaze to me. Tears are forming in his eyes, more real than anything in that fantasy. "Kaede," he sobs. "H-How do you know that I've done this? This utterly despicable thing."

Oh, I didn't mean to make him cry. I feel so guilty now. But at the same time, I wasn't going to accept the fact that Shuichi hated himself so much that he couldn't imagine being with me without completely altering his personality. "You don't have a fantasy of your own, do you, Shuichi? You wish to be moulded into whoever people want you to be so you that don't question your worth. I couldn't let you break yourself apart like that."

"But this isn't hurting anyone!" he yells. "Don't you prefer it this way? I was the  **perfect** boyfriend for you! You didn't have to ruin it for some heroic bullshit!"

He hicks and sniffles, tears streaking across his cheeks. "I know that delving into everyone's dreams is creepy. It's so easy to be what is already laid out before you. You understand, right? In this room, I'm never judged for what I look like, my skills, my profession, only for how well I can act as their fantasy. Things are better this way."

I bring my face closer to his. Ah, what a handsome face. I wish I had something to wipe his tears away. "Hey, I'm not perfect. I'm quite the snooper, too, but it seems like you've been doing this for a long time. I'm gonna have to tell everyone."

"E-Even Kaito?" Shuichi whimpers.

"Who knows how many people have stuck their head into our dreams! We have to get rid of that Love Key once and for all. It's only done harm."

He nods, finally understanding my point of view. "I agree with you. It's just… I cannot express into words how guilty I feel."

"Please don't hate yourself more than you already do. Your fantasy self wasn't handsome or cute at all. I love Shuichi Saihara, the Ultimate Detective, not that average guy who didn't even know who the other Ultimates are!"

I can hear his heartbeat. It plays my heart better than I play the piano. If only I could play a soothing song to cheer him up… in the heat of the moment, I press my lips onto his. They're chapped from his crying, but soft. Shuichi holds both of my hands, like he never wants to let go. I never imagined he would feel this warm… how can he see himself as unworthy of spreading that warmth onto others? 

After a few seconds, I break the kiss. It takes a couple moments for me to speak. The silence makes this moment feel tender. "Being with you makes me unafraid to tell everyone the truth. I want to keep kissing you in the real world."

"I'll do my best," reassures Shuichi. He sounds more reliable than his other self has. "As an Ultimate Detective, I will never run away from the truth. I'll be the reliable boyfriend you deserve without losing my identity or resorting to disgusting practices such as this. That's a promise."

I dust off my skirt with one hand, the other is still holding Shuichi's. His warmth lights me up like the sun. "Let's get out of here. I'm sick of this obnoxious room."

Hand in hand, Shuichi and I exit the Love Suite for the last time. I'm nervous of what's to come, but I feel one with my newfound partner. We are going to face everyone without letting go of our hands. This duet can't be done by one person, after all. 


End file.
